Federal government to ship Covid vaccines to retail pharmacies next week

WASHINGTON — The U.S. will begin shipping doses of the Covid-19 vaccine directly to retail pharmacies next week, as the Biden administration expands how and where Americans can get inoculated.

The initial shipment of 1 million doses will go to 6,500 stores starting Feb. 11, said Jeffrey Zients, the Biden administration’s Covid-19 coordinator.

States were left by the Trump administration to devise their own distribution plans and some opted to use retail pharmacies in their states to help administer the vaccine to certain groups, like health care workers.

Pharmacies that receive the vaccine directly from the federal government will still need to follow their state's guidelines to determine which populations should receive the injections. Americans should check their local pharmacy's website to make an appointment if they fall into one of their state’s priority groups, he said.